
Supreme Court maintains FDA approval of abortion pill, preserving access for now
CBSN
Washington — The Supreme Court on Friday granted a request from the Justice Department to leave in place the Food and Drug Administration's approval of a widely used abortion pill, preserving access to the drug and reinstating a number of steps by the agency that made it easier to obtain while legal proceedings continue.
The decision from the conservative court came in the most significant case involving abortion since it overturned Roe v. Wade less than one year ago, a ruling that threw the legal landscape into chaos and led to near-total bans on abortion in more than 12 states. In addition to granting the Justice Department's request for emergency relief, the Supreme Court also approved a similar request from Danco Laboratories, the maker of the abortion drug mifepristone.
Justice Clarence Thomas said he would have denied the emergency applications, and Justice Samuel Alito dissented from the decision, writing that neither the Justice Department nor Danco have shown they are likely to suffer irreparable harm while the appeals process plays out. Alito authored the majority opinion reversing Roe.

Horse racing excitement is set to continue on Saturday night when the second part of the Triple Crown launches at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. The Preakness Stakes, also known as the annual run for the Black-Eyed Susans, comes just two weeks after the season kicked off with the Kentucky Derby.

Increasingly, when lawyers take divisive political issues to court, they seek out federal jurisdictions where they hope to find judges sympathetic to their worldview. This phenomenon, known as venue shopping, has been employed by both sides of the political aisle, according to a new CBS News analysis of federal court data for cases seeking nationwide impact.